Once Upon A Time: The alternative ending
by Mirantia
Summary: I am writing this story because I thought it would end after season 3 (not that I'm not happy that it didn't, but I just thought it would.) I was also really disappointed by the wedding of Bell and Rumple. I expected an actual fairytale wedding, so I am mainly going to rewrite that part.
1. It's over

With her head down, Belle slowly walked through Storybrooke. The roads were completely empty. There was no one outside. Everyone stayed inside, hiding for Zelena. Regina was now the only one who could defeat her, because Emma lost all of her magic by kissing Hook. Belle was not sure if Regina would succeed or actually try to defeat Zelena. Of course she believed in second chances, but she had not forgotten about the twenty-eight years she had been locked up by Regina.

"Belle!" Belle stopped and turned around by hearing a familiar voice. Regina was walking towards her with Robin by her side.

"Regina! Robin!" Belle called surprised. "What are you two doing here? Is everything okay?"

"Everything is fine, Belle," Regina answered calmly. "We just wanted to give you some good news." Belle looked confused.

"What good news?" she asked. Regina raised her eyebrow.

"I thought you were the smart one here," she said sarcastically. "I defeated Zelena. Can you figure out the rest or do I need to tell you that too?" Belle looked at Regina for a second and then sighed relieved. Rumple was free. Regina had done it.

"How did you do it?" Belle asked Regina.

"How did I do what?" Regina asked, surprised that Belle didn't run to her boyfriend the moment she knew he was free.

"How did you kill,-"

"I didn't kill her," Regina answered, before Belle could finish.

"What?" Belle asked confused.

"I didn't kill Zelena," Regina repeated. "I just got rid of her magic."

"Then… Where is she now?" asked Belle, still a little confused.

"At the police station," Regina answered. "She is in a cell and she will stay there as long as will be needed." Belle looked shocked. This really wasn't the Regina she knew. The old Regina would have killed Zelena without even thinking about letting her live. How did she change so suddenly?

"Regina," Belle asked carefully. "Why didn't you kill her? I expected you would, especially since she was trying to take care that you were never born."

"Well, she remembered me of myself," Regina answered, "I used to be just like her and I got my second chance, so why can't she?" she paused. "But I promise you this: If Zelena doesn't take her second chance, I will gladly rip out her heart, before she can hurt anyone."

Belle smiled. "I guess I was wrong," she said softly. "You really did change." Regina raised her eyebrow again.

"I thought you were the one who believed in second chances," she said. "Or do you only believe in second chances for your boyfriend?"

"Regina!" Robin cautioned

Regina looked at Robin and sighed.

"I'm Sorry," she said as calm as she could when she turned back to Belle. Belle looked down.

"I do believe in second chances," she said softly, "I just,-"

"You just didn't believe that I could change," Regina said before Belle could finish. "Belle, I said to you before that I was sorry for what I have done and I really mean that! I really am sorry!" Belle kept looking down, not knowing what to say. Regina was right. She was not being fair. She should have believed in her too, no matter what happened in the past.

"I'm sorry Regina," said Belle after a while. "You're right. I shouldn't have doubted you." Regina's hard look became softer, but she didn't answer her. Instead she opened her bag and pulled out something Belle recognized anywhere: Rumple's dagger.

"Here," she said. "Take it. I think you will know what to do with it." Belle carefully took the dagger out of Regina's hands and looked at it. Then she opened her bag and put it away.

"Thank you," she said softly. Regina gave a small smile.

"I'm actually surprised you are still here, Belle," Regina said a little sarcastically. "I thought you would have ran right to your boyfriend the moment you knew he was free again." Belle smiled and ignored the sarcastically sound in Regina's voice.

"Thank you Regina," she said again. She turned around and started to run to Rumples shop.


	2. The proposal

Belle took a deep breath as she stopped at the shop. This was the moment she had been waiting for ever since she knew Rumple was alive. A small tear rolled down from her eyes as she thought of Neal, who had to pay the price of death by bringing back his father. She smiled and whipped the tear away. Neal had been like a brother to her when Rumple died. He had comforted her every time she cried, which was almost every night, and even though she could not see much through her tears, she had seen tears in his eyes too. She sighed and opened the door of the shop. She closed the door and turned around. There he was. Even though Belle knew he was alive and she had seen him, she still couldn't believe he was actually standing there. It was as if nothing happened. Belle and Rumple both sighed relieved, walked to each other and hugged.

"I have missed you so much," Belle whispered. "I thought I would never see you again."

"I missed you too Belle," Rumple said as he stroke the back of her hair. After almost a minute they let go of each other and kept looking each other in the eye.

"I still wonder why you keep coming back to me," Rumple said. "After all I have done." Belle shook her head and laid her hand on top of his.

"That was not you," she answered softly. "That was Zelena."

"Not all of it." Belle did not answer that. She smiled, opened her bag and pulled out the dagger. Rumple looked surprised at the dagger.

"How did you get that?" he asked.

"Regina gave it to me," Belle answered. "She said I would know what to do with it. And I do." She held out the dagger to Rumple. "Take it. You are not a prisoner anymore and I don't want you to be that ever again." Rumple slowly took the dagger from Belle and looked at it carefully.

"Thank you," he said.

"You need to promise me something in return, Rumple," Belle said.

"And what is that?"

"Promise me you don't go after Zelena to kill her." Rumple's look hardened by Belles words. He clearly was planning on killing her.

"Belle, she killed my son," she said harsh. Belle looked down. She had expected him to react that way.

"I know she did, Rumple," she said calmly, knowing that he was not really angry with her, "and I understand that you hate her for that. But you and Regina have done bad things too. You both got a second chance, so why can't Zelena." Rumple didn't answer that, but his look softened. "I am really sorry about Neal, I miss him too, but you haven't lost everything. You still have me." By those words, Rumple let his head down and looked at his dagger.

"You are right, Belle," he said. Then he looked up to her again. "I don't want to lose you ever again."

"You won't," Belle assured him with a smile. "I am not planning on leaving you and I will do everything to take care that I won't lose you." Rumple looked at his dagger again and then held it out to Belle.

"Then you keep it," he said. Belle looked confused at him.

"What?" she asked.

"Take the dagger," Rumple said. "And I will now, and forever in your future, be yours." Belles eyes widened. Was he… Proposing?

"Wait, what are you saying?" she asked, even though she had the feeling what the answer was going to be.

"Will you marry me?" Rumple asked. Belle felt like she could jump up and down and scream out of happiness. She knew Rumple loved her, but she had never expected a proposal.

"Yes!" she said. She took the dagger, put it aside and flew Rumple around the neck. "Yes!" she said again, laughing through her tears. She was going to be with the man she loved for the rest of her live. Her day couldn't get any better than that.


	3. My little girl

**Something I didn't understand about the series, is that they never came back with the story of Belle and her father. In that episode where he tried to make her forget Belle told him and Rumple she never wanted to see them again. She did see Rumple, but her father was out of the picture until the last episode of season 3. So I made a chapter of Belle and her father. I hope you like it.**

**Note: Sorry if I make mistakes with writing. English is not my native language and I am dyslectic. **

Belle hummed softly as she put away all the books in the library. Last day had been the best day of her life. She smiled by the memory of how Rumple had insisted to throw a big wedding, because she deserved it. After Belle had said a couple of times that she didn't need a big wedding, she finally agreed to do it. Belle was so lost in her day dream that she didn't hear the door of the library open.

"Belle?" Belle startled when she heard a familiar voice. A voice she hadn't heard for a very long time. She slowly turned around and saw a short man with short blond hair.

"Papa!" she whispered. Maurice looked at her with a painful look on his face.

"Belle, I know you didn't want to see me anymore, but I just had to see you," he said.

"I didn't mean it literally," Belle sighed as she gave her father a hug. "I'm sorry. I should have come to you before, but so much has happened. Part of the time I didn't even know who I was!"

"I know, Sweetheart," Maurice said softly. "I know." After a few seconds they let go of each other. Belle had tears in her eyes. She felt really guilty that she didn't come to her father herself. He should have been the one she spent her time with in the magic forest after Rumple died. Not Neal.

"How is he?" Maurice asked suddenly.

"How is who?" Belle asked a little confused. She assumed he was asking about Rumple, but he hated him. Why would he be asking about him as if he was an old friend?

"The da-, Rumplestilskin," Maurice answered. Belle looked down. One of the most difficult things was telling him that his only daughter was getting married.

"He's fine," she answered. Maurice didn't say anything to that. "Papa, I,-" Before she could finish Maurice raised is hand to silence her.

"I understand, Belle," he said. "I know you love him and I know he loves you. It was wrong of me to take you to apart. I just want you to be happy." Belle smiled. That did make it a bit more easier to tell him about her engagement. She hopped on the table and started looking at her skirt.

"He asked me to marry him," she said softly. Maurice didn't say anything. When she looked up, she saw a shocked look on his face.

"When?" he asked her after a while. He didn't sound angry. He just sounded like he couldn't believe it.

"Yesterday," Belle answered honestly. "The wedding is next week." Maurice just stared at her. Belle could see tears in his eyes.

"My little girl," he whispered. Belle looked surprised at her father. That was not exactly the reaction she had expected from him.

"You're not mad," she asked carefully.

"Of course not, Belle," Maurice said. "I know he is a changed man and I told you I wanted you to be happy. I would be honored to give you away to the man you love." Belle's eyes filled with tears. She jumped of the table and hugged her father again.

"I love you, Papa," she said.

"I love you too Belle," Maurice said. "No matter what happens, you will always be my little girl."


End file.
